Neck Cracking – Why Is This Bad for You?

More than often we witness neck cracking scenes in movies where tough guys crack their neck, which is followed by a series of cracking sounds as a person keeps twisting his neck. While this might look enticing in a film, real life experiences with neck cracking might not be really cool.

Neck cracking is usually associated with pain. There are loads of individuals who experience neck cracking feeling in their day to day lives. Basically, our neck contains many muscles and bones which make head movement a cake walk for us. When an individual cracks his head it releases fluid or gas within the joints surrounding the neck area. The immediate production of temporary vacuum which is filled by gas causes the cracking sound.

If a person feels a constant urge to crack his/her neck then the person is experiencing hypermobility in his/her joints. Hypermobility implies more than the usual range of motion. More than often, the body part which is least resistant is cracked, which is why a person feels a constant urge to crack that body part.

Neck cracking causes lots of pressure on your joints which leads to the stretching of the ligaments to unstable levels. Constant neck cracking can lead to perpetual instability. When an individual develop perpetual instability then the joint tends to grow a bridge bone between our two vertebrae, thus leading to a condition called ‘osteoarthritis’. Osteoarthritis is a serious and irreversible condition.

Some studies have also unleashed the fact that neck cracking can result into strokes amongst individuals below the age group of 60. Individuals who have a habit of neck cracking are more prone towards developing stroke. Also, there have been cases of blood clotting due to neck cracking. Blood clothing can have hazardous consequences on your health as it can deprive the oxygen supply to the brain.

If practiced often, neck cracking is also responsible for less mobility in our neck. Each time your neck is cracked it results into wear and tear of the cartilage present in your vertebrae. This can also lead to neck arthritis in the near future.

It’s advisable to perform neck cracking under expert supervision. When neck cracking is done by expert chiropractors, you are reducing your chances of injury as most of them are aware about the extent to which your joint should be pulled.

As such, there are many views on neck cracking. Some individuals live under the notion that neck cracking is not a major issue. However, as you see this notion is far from truth.

As such, one can reverse the damage caused by neck cracking to a great extent by performing muscle toning neck exercises. If you suspect a stroke, it’s advisable to consult a health care professional as soon as possible. The most probable symptoms of stroke are dizziness, immobility, blurred vision and headache. Remember, neck cracking can cause permanent damage to your body, which is why one needs to exercise great caution before performing this act.